Detailed Action
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This is a final action for application number 18/478,984 in response to an amendment filed on 02/03/2026; the original application filed on 09/29/2023.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been considered below.
Claims 1, 19 and 20 are independent claims.
Claim 10 has been cancelled
Claims 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 11-14, 16, 18, 19 and 20 have been amended.
Claim 21 is new.
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments in the instant Amendment, filed on 02/03/2026, with respect to limitations listed below, have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments: “that Lee in view of Vrind further fails to disclose or suggest that "the condition satisfies the trigger when the current battery charge level of the mobile device falls below a predefined threshold battery charge level, and a connection to the non-terrestrial network will consume the current battery charge level more slowly than a connection to the terrestrial network."
The Examiner disagrees with the Applicants. The Examiner respectfully submits that Lee et al. in view of Vrind et al. does disclose ‘monitoring a condition of a mobile device while the mobile device is connected to a terrestrial network, wherein the condition comprises a current battery charge level of the mobile device’ [Vrind et al. teaches that a first replacement scheme of replacing the source aerial cell with the target aerial cell illustrating a call flow for aerial cell handover is shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, in accordance with a first comparative solution. As soon as the target aerial cell comes near the energy-depleted source aerial cell, the aerial cell handover procedure is performed. The aerial cell handover procedure gets triggered for all the UE that are served by the source aerial cell, to first synchronize the UE with the target aerial cell and then connect them with the target aerial cell, (Vrind et al., Paragraph 26)].
The Examiner respectfully suggests that the claim be further amended and details in the specification be incorporated to distinguish the claimed invention over prior art of record. Should the Applicant desire an interview to further clarify the claim interpretation/rejections, please contact the Examiner at 571-270-1921 to schedule an interview.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-5 and 9-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US 2024/00985597 A1) in view of Vrind et al. (US 2024/0196292 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 19 and 20, a method comprising: monitoring, by a processing system including at least one processor, a condition of a mobile device while the mobile device is connected to a terrestrial network, [a serving cell 130 may transmit a measurement control message to UE 120, The measurement control message may include one or more handover events, one or more conditions of the handover events, a threshold related to handover, or a parameter related to the handover. The UE 120 may receive the measurement control message from the serving cell 130, and may identify a handover event and a condition of the handover event, Lee et al., Paragraph 37)],
determining, by the processing system, that the condition satisfies a trigger for switching, [when a measurement value for the reference signal satisfies the condition for the handover event, (Lee et al., Paragraph 39)], to a non-terrestrial network, [The gateway 240 may support handover between the TN cell and the NTN cell, (Lee et al., Paragraph 43)],
and sending, by the processing system in response to the determining, a first instruction to the mobile device, [In operation S107, the serving cell 130 may transmit a handover command to the UE 120, (Lee et al., Paragraph 41)], wherein the first instruction causes the mobile device to connect to a non-terrestrial network, [the UE 210 needs to hand over from the TN cell to the NTN cell, (Lee et al., Paragraph 43)],
Lee et al. fails to explicitly teach that the first instructions cause the mobile device to disconnect from the terrestrial network,
Vrind et al. teaches that the target aerial cell 306 establishes the communication with the plurality of UE and the terrestrial cells of the core network 310 after disconnection of communication operation of the source aerial cell 304 with the plurality of UE and the terrestrial cells, (Vrind et al., Paragraph 53),
Vrind et al. further teaches that the condition comprises a current battery charge level of the mobile device, [As soon as the source aerial cell 304 is energy-depleted (shown by a low battery level indicator 304A in the source aerial cell 304), the information gets forwarded to the aerial cell fleet manager 312, which dispatches a fully charged aerial cell (the target aerial cell 306) to the location of the source aerial cell 304, (Vrind et al., Paragraph 36)],
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify Lee et al. by including that the first instructions cause the mobile device to disconnect from the terrestrial network, (Vrind et al., Paragraph 53), in order to replace a source aerial cell with a target aerial cell, (Vrind et al., Paragraph 4).
Regarding claim 2, the method of claim 1, wherein the condition further comprises a strength of a signal received by the mobile device from a network element of the terrestrial network, [the UE 120 may receive a reference signal from the serving cell 130, and may measure, for the received reference signal, at least one of (i) Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), (ii) Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), (iii) a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), (Lee et al., Paragraph 38)].
Regarding claim 3, the method of claim 2, wherein the condition satisfies the trigger when a current value of the strength of the signal falls below a predefined threshold value, [The measurement control message may include one or more handover events, one or more conditions of the handover events, a threshold related to handover, or a parameter related to the handover, (Lee et al., Paragraph 37)].
Regarding claim 4, the method of claim 1, wherein the condition further comprises a bandwidth experienced by the mobile device while connected to the terrestrial network, [The TN cell and the NTN cell may have different cell sizes, data transmission rates, bandwidths, (Lee et al., Paragraph 42)].
Regarding claim 5, the method of claim 4, wherein the condition satisfies the trigger when a current value of the bandwidth falls below a predefined threshold value, [The measurement control message may include a second RSRP threshold and a second Hys parameter for the Pre-Condition, (Lee et al., Paragraph 81)].
Regarding claim 11, the method of claim 1, wherein the condition satisfies the trigger when the current battery charge level of the mobile device falls below a predefined threshold battery charge level, and a connection to the non-terrestrial network will consume the current battery charge level more slowly than a connection to the terrestrial network, [As soon as the source aerial cell 304 is energy-depleted (shown by a low battery level indicator 304A in the source aerial cell 304), the information gets forwarded to the aerial cell fleet manager 312, which dispatches a fully charged aerial cell (the target aerial cell 306) to the location of the source aerial cell 304, (Vrind et al., Paragraph 36)].
Regarding claim 12, the method of claim 1, wherein the condition further comprises an availability of a service or an application via the terrestrial network, [When the RSRP of the NTN cell, which is a serving cell, is not recovered and a second handover procedure to the TN cell is completed, the UE 210 may be provided with a service in the TN cell, (Lee et al., Paragraph 74)].
Regarding claim 13, the method of claim 12, wherein the condition satisfies the trigger when the service or the application is unavailable via the terrestrial network but available via the non-terrestrial network, [When the Cancel Condition is satisfied by recovering the RSRP of the NTN cell before the second handover procedure is completed, the UE 210 may transmit a measurement report to the satellite 230. Accordingly, the handover procedure may be canceled. Accordingly, the UE 210 may be continuously provided with a service in the NTN cell, (Lee et al., Paragraph 74)].
Regarding claim 14, the method of claim 1, wherein the condition further comprises an altitude of the mobile device, [A UE 211 may have a flight capability. For example, the UE 211 may be a drone or an airplane. The UE 211 may move to the NTN cell area from an area in which the TN cell and the NTN cell overlap. For example, the UE 211 may move vertically from the ground to be closer to the satellite 230, (Lee et al., Paragraph 77)].
Regarding claim 15, the method of claim 14, wherein the condition satisfies the trigger when the altitude of the mobile device exceeds a predefined threshold altitude, [The UE 211 may have a flight capability. For example, the UE 211 may be a drone or an airplane. The UE 211 may move from an area in which only the TN cell is served to an overlapping area between the TN cell and the NTN cell. For example, the UE 211 may move, at a high speed, from the area in which only the TN cell is served to the overlapping area between the TN cell and the NTN cell. Accordingly, the UE 211 needs to hand over from the TN cell to the NTN cell, (Lee et al., Paragraph 114)].
Regarding claim 16, the method of claim 1, wherein the condition further comprises a rate of increase of an altitude of the mobile device, [A UE 211 may have a flight capability. For example, the UE 211 may be a drone or an airplane. The UE 211 may move to the NTN cell area from an area in which the TN cell and the NTN cell overlap. For example, the UE 211 may move vertically from the ground to be closer to the satellite 230, (Lee et al., Paragraph 77)].
Regarding claim 17, the method of claim 16, wherein the condition satisfies the trigger when the rate of increase of the altitude of the mobile device exceeds a predefined threshold rate of increase, [The UE 211 may have a flight capability. For example, the UE 211 may be a drone or an airplane. The UE 211 may move from an area in which only the TN cell is served to an overlapping area between the TN cell and the NTN cell. For example, the UE 211 may move, at a high speed, from the area in which only the TN cell is served to the overlapping area between the TN cell and the NTN cell. Accordingly, the UE 211 needs to hand over from the TN cell to the NTN cell, (Lee et al., Paragraph 114)].
Regarding claim 18, the method of claim 1, further comprising:
continuing, by the processing system, to monitor the condition of the mobile device while the mobile device is connected to the non-terrestrial network, [A second handover may be based on an intensity of signal power, from the NTN cell to the TN cell. The UE 210 may receive, from the satellite 230, a measurement control message including information regarding the second handover. The measurement control message may include at least one of a First Trigger Condition, a Second Trigger Condition, and a Cancel Condition for the second handover, (Lee et al., Paragraph 63)],
determining, by the processing system, that the condition satisfies a trigger for switching back to a terrestrial network access, [in FIG. 3B, the First Trigger Condition may start at T1. The Second Trigger Condition may start at T2. The Cancel Condition may start at T3. An example in which the start time T1 of the First Trigger Condition precedes the start time T2 of the Second Trigger Condition, (Lee et al., Paragraph 73)],
and sending, by the processing system in response to the determining that the condition satisfies the trigger for switching back, a second instruction to the mobile device, where the second instruction causes the mobile device to disconnect from the non-terrestrial network and to connect to the terrestrial network or another terrestrial network, [When the RSRP of the NTN cell, which is a serving cell, is not recovered and a second handover procedure to the TN cell is completed, the UE 210 may be provided with a service in the TN cell, (Lee et al., Paragraph 74)].
Regarding claim 21, the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the condition further comprises a rate of increase of an altitude of the mobile device, [With respect to the above-described implementation scenarios, the comparative solutions describing handling of replacement of LAP based aerial cells (also referred to as drones) has not addressed the critical challenges of seamless continuity specific to aerial communication such as a delay in positioning (altitude and location) for the target aerial cell, managing handover (HO) with minimal HO delay, minimization of backhaul synchronization time between target aerial cell and backhaul terrestrial nodes (base station or core network) over the wireless channel, (Vrind et al., Paragraph 25)].
Claims 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US 2024/00985597 A1) in view of Vrind et al. (US 2024/0196292 A1) and further in view of Ickin et al. WO 2023/153962 A1).
Regarding claim 6, the modified Lee et al. teaches that the gateway 240 may support handover between the TN cell and the NTN cell, (Lee et al., Paragraph 43),
The modified Lee et al. fails to explicitly teach that the condition further comprises at least one of: a packet loss experienced by the mobile device while connected to the terrestrial network or a latency experienced by the mobile device while connected to the terrestrial network,
Ickin et al. teaches that the data for the set of device and network node agents comprises one or more of: the cost of the at least one training device being connected to the at least one NTN; the cost of the at least one training device being connected to the at least one TN; the service and application usage time by the at least one training device within a next time interval (T); the throughput and latency requirements of a predicted service in the at least one training device; and the conditions of at least one of the networks available to the at least one training device, (Ickin et al., Paragraph 26),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify Lee et al. by including the condition comprises at least one of: a packet loss experienced by the mobile device while connected to the terrestrial network or a latency experienced by the mobile device while connected to the terrestrial network, (Ickin et al., Paragraph 26), in order for the UE to have a smart and pro-active HO control mechanism that decides whether or not to handover to TN based on its forecasted trajectory and UE context in the future, given that connecting back from TN to NTN would be hard as the connection of UE to the satellite was lost before. When to hand-in (NTN to TN) should be decided carefully with good forecasting of the future UE and network state in advance, (Ickin et al., Paragraph 10).
Regarding claim 7, the method of claim 6, wherein the condition satisfies the trigger when a current value of the packet loss or a current value of the latency exceeds a predefined threshold value, [The UE does not perform HO immediately, but triggers the HO command only when the certain criteria is met (such as threshold delta between source and any target cell), (Ickin et al., Paragraph 12)].
Regarding claim 8, the method of claim 1, wherein the condition further comprises at least one of: a cost to the mobile device of connecting to the terrestrial network or a cost to the mobile device of connecting to the non-terrestrial network, [the data for the set of device and network node agents comprises one or more of: the cost of the at least one training device being connected to the at least one NTN; the cost of the at least one training device being connected to the at least one TN; the service and application usage time by the at least one training device within a next time interval (T); the throughput and latency requirements of a predicted service in the at least one training device; and the conditions of at least one of the networks available to the at least one training device, (Ickin et al., Paragraph 26)].
Regarding claim 9, the method of claim 8, wherein the condition satisfies the trigger when the cost to the mobile device of connecting to the non-terrestrial network is less than the cost to the mobile device of connecting to the terrestrial network, [The UE does not perform HO immediately, but triggers the HO command only when the certain criteria is met (such as threshold delta between source and any target cell), (Ickin et al., Paragraph 12)].
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Shukri Taha whose telephone number is 571-270-1921. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30am-5pm Mon-Fri.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joseph Avellino can be reached on 571-272-3905.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/SHUKRI TAHA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478